Nursery Rhymes
by Mitsukai
Summary: To some, those whimsical words held a deeper meaning than a normal playground saying. A collection of drabbles and one-shots.
1. Glue

**Before You Begin: **_Nursery Rhymes _is a collection of drabbles and/or one-shots varying in length and genre, completely unrelated to each other. Each 'chapter' defines a childhood saying that corresponds with a certain character or characters. This is my side project and will be updated when I feel like it, bar nothing. Take note that begging me to 'continue' is futile, since this is a collection of individual stories rather than a continuous plot. Still, I appreciate any and all reviews. In addition, if you wish to request a certain rhyme, simply say so as well as the character that you feel is best described by the rhyme.

Oh, and be warned, though the primary genre will be forever set as 'General', the secondary genre and character(s) will be set to the genre and character(s) in the most recent drabble/one-shot, so I wouldn't look for this under a character search.

Thanks for reading! -M.

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**Chapter Title: **_Glue_

**Central Character(s): **Gaara

**Chapter Summary: **Before his descent into blood-driven insanity, he lived his life by that silly rhyme about rubber and glue.

**Genre: **Angst

**Word Count: **300 (not including rhyme)

**Rating: **K+ for dark-ish themes

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_I'm rubber, and you're glue._

_Whatever you say bounces off of me_

_And sticks to you._

He first heard the stupid little playground retort from his brother, after being called an idiot by Temari for somehow accidentally burning her fans in the toaster. The blonde girl subsequently accused Kankurou of stupidity to which Gaara silently agreed, though the whimsical children's rhyme remained in his head.

Perhaps, he thought then, he should try being rubber.

The years followed with whispered words and subtly turned backs—Gaara knew all were directed at him, yet he endured these with the resilience of an elastic band, forever returning to its original shape despite countless hours of stretching and pulling. In the years after, Gaara was rubber.

The rumors, the terror, the hatred—all bounced off his newly acquired, impenetrable exterior, and in his juvenile mindset, all of it stuck to the glue, those who unjustly despised and simultaneously feared him for who he was not. He was not the One-Tail, and the One-Tail, in turn, was not him.

Despite all his efforts and resilience in proving to those disbelievers that he, the Jinchuuriki of Shukaku, was not a monster, his rubber broke down, eroded until nothing was left but a slimy, sticky mass of _glue_. With his uncle's betrayal, his rubber dissolved, and soon everything—from the assassination attempts to the continuing hatred to the fear emanating from his own _siblings_—remained with Gaara, a sardonic reminder of the treachery of his one trusted person.

The debris built up indefinitely, shrouding him in loathing for everything and everybody, yet not manifesting until he was so engulfed by it that nothing could be seen past his rage and bloodlust. Suddenly, he discovered a newfound satisfaction showering himself with the blood of another, confirming the fears of the Sand Village.

Perhaps, he mused at the time, being glue was not so bad.


	2. Sticks and Stones

**Chapter Title: **_Sticks and Stones  
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**Central Character(s): **Naruto

**Chapter Summary: **He knew better than to actually believe that stupid saying about sticks and stones. His wounds would never heal.

**Genre: **Drama

**Word Count: **300 (not including rhyme)

**Rating: **K+ for dark-ish themes

**Author's Note: **Some people had never heard of the previous rhyme before, so I went with a more widespread one this time. However, I don't like this one quite as much as the last. Hope you disagree!

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_Sticks and stones may break my bones_

_But words will never hurt me._

The blonde child, from his solitary seat on the swing, gazed longingly at his classmates playing in the sand. Gleeful smiles spread across their childish faces as they molded elaborate castles from the grains, only to happily stomp them back into the ground with delighted laughter.

Naruto, having built up his courage in the last hour, finally jumped off his seat and approached the other children with a broad grin ready on his eager lips. "Hey, can I play, too?"

The happy expressions of the children melted away, revealing awful sneers and grimaces. One of them replied flatly, "No. You're a freak. We don't play with freaks."

It was all the young blonde could do to keep from crying in front of his classmates. "Oh," he somehow managed to murmur. Without another word, he stumbled back to the swing, his refuge from the cruelty of the other children, the one place where he could stay and avoid their hateful expressions—and those of their parents.

Finally returned to his original position, Naruto finally allowed his tears to fall, sniffling loudly as he rubbed the back of his arm vigorously against his nose. With little comfort otherwise, he began muttering to himself—words of reassurance rather than encouragement.

"Sticks and stones…" he trailed off, knowing the end of the truism all too well, yet recognizing its utter falsehood. To no one, as no one wished to listen to him, Naruto announced, "Words will _always _hurt me."

Upon his realization, his eyes narrowed darkly, resigning himself to the intolerance he had already faced and would face in the future.

Monster.

Demon.

Freak.

These mere words crushed his spirits with each and every utterance—damage that he would never recover from. And he was pretty sure his broken bones would heal over time.


	3. Little Lamb

**Chapter Title: **_Little Lamb_

**Central Character(s): **Sakura, Ino

**Chapter Summary: **Everywhere that Ino went, Sakura was sure to go.

**Genre: **Friendship

**Word Count: **200 (not including rhyme)

**Rating: **K

**Author's Note: **I don't like this one as much, but I've had it for awhile and have not been able to make it satisfactory, so deal with it. Or enjoy! It's up to you.

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_Mary had a little lamb._

_Its fleece was white as snow,_

_And everywhere that Mary went,_

_The lamb was sure to go._

"Coming, Sakura?" The blonde little girl whipped her head back to see her best friend following as they ran through the trees. A grinning visage spoke easily of the child's confidence, the lack of self-doubt she possessed.

A voice that told a different story replied, "Yeah, Ino, I'm coming." The pink-haired girl held a more timid countenance, with her bowed head and lowered eyes. While the blonde was a blatant bouncing ball of energy, this girl was sweeter, holding better intentions though not necessarily capable of conveying them.

"Mary had a little lamb. Its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go," gleefully sang Ino as she boisterously skipped through the woods, swinging her arms to and fro. Stopping suddenly, she exclaimed to Sakura, "Hey, it's like I'm Mary, and you're my lamb! We go everywhere together!"

Not recognizing the unintentionally negative connotation, Sakura, in her sweetness, imitated the bleating of a sheep, throwing the pair into uproarious laughter.

"Everywhere together!" Ino repeated, reaching out an open palm.

Smiling, Sakura accepted it, and together the young girls strode off, two best friends oblivious to the realities that faced them in the future.


End file.
